Meaning & use
many moons ago
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalliterary
A long time in the past; used to say that something happened many years ago.
Grammar: Used as a time adverbial, usually at the beginning or end of a sentence: Many moons ago, we lived by the sea.
Patterns
- many moons ago, someone did something
- something happened many moons ago
Many moons ago, my grandfather sailed to Australia.
We first met many moons ago, back in primary school.
Many moons ago this town had only one traffic light.
Common combinations
- a long time ago
- They moved to Canada a long time ago.
- years ago
- Years ago, nobody had a mobile phone.
- once upon a time
- Once upon a time, a king lived in this castle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- a long time ago
- The plain, everyday way to say this; 'many moons ago' sounds more playful or story-like.
- ages ago
- Informal British and common in speech; it is more casual and less poetic than 'many moons ago'.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'many moons ago' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
The phrase means 'a long time in the past', so it fits a past situation like writing letters by hand. The other options place it with future time, which contradicts its meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “many moons ago”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.